


Glowing Eyes

by alienslovetea



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-09 02:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7783558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienslovetea/pseuds/alienslovetea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng</p><p>  The girl who had gone missing over a year ago</p><p>  Chat Noir</p><p>  The famous Parisian superhero</p><p>  Now what happens when both the lost girl and punny cat meet?</p><p> </p><p>  Inspired by the song "Glowing Eyes" by Twenty One Pilots</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first miraculous fanfic so please enjoy and be nice! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets a stranger, whom reminds her of the life she had once lived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just to let you know, the quotes in the beginning of each chapter is from the song, "Glowing Eyes," by Twenty One Pilots, which you may or may not have known. Anyway, give the song a listen and enjoy this chapter!

Marinette

"We live for the night's decor"

 

The world is cold and unforgiving.

That was one of the first things I remember being taught in my stay here. The phrase had been repeated over and over again until it was permanently engraved in the back of my skull, the words red hot in my mind. Madame Bustier had become a human broken record, it felt as if she could not utter any other phrase but that one. The words had flowed off her tongue with such distaste and conviction, almost as if the thought of the world's actions was enough to make someone vomit.

Though, this bittersweet phrase was not the only thing that was seared into my mind.

The second thing I was taught was that to get what you want you had to push yourself past your limits to achieve them. And boy had I pushed myself past my limits.

______________________________________________________________

"Marinette! It's uppercut, side, and then kick! How many times must we go over this!" Mendeleiev barked, spit flying from her lips. I tried my best to keep my face as blank as possible as she continued to curse me to hell, her glare becoming harder than steel as the minutes flew by. "As punishment for your idiocy, you are to be given no dinner for the next three nights, dismissed!" Mendeleiev snatched my arm up faster than I could blink and shoved me towards the guarded, who proceeded to drag me towards the door.

"Make sure her punishment is known," Mendeleiev growled barely sparing me a glance before shoving past us and rushing out of the door. We stood there for a moment before leaving the room, the guard keeping a tight grasp on my shoulder. I kept my lips shut as I was led to my room by the guard, not trusting myself to speak. Our footsteps were the only noise in the silent hallways, without them it would seem like an abandoned building, which it technically was. The weapons that decorated the walls felt as if they were taunting me with the idea of escape, that all I had to do was reach up and grab one and I would be free.

That would never happen, of course.

By the time we reached my door, the silence had reached almost maddening, as it did every time I left my room. The people in this building were like robots; they only knew how to function. The creak of the door brought me out of my thoughts, and I glanced up to see the guard looking at me expectantly. I slowly stepped into my room and flinched when the door slammed shut behind me, a loud click echoing as the guard locked it.

I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps to release the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in. I leaned back against my door, finally allowing the weight of today's incidents to fall on my shoulders.

Like every other day, my inability to focus and not be clumsy had resulted in many punishments; the worst being my dinner privileges being taken away. I was clueless on how I wold be able to get past the next few days without dinner, especially when breakfast and lunch are overcooked meat, water, and nutrient pills. Sure, it could definitely be worse, but that still didn't stop me from moping around my room in self-pity.

"Marinette?" A voice called out tentatively, a little red head popping out behind the curtains. "What happened?" I simply sighed and dramatically fell down on my bed, causing a horrid groan to come from the old springs. I ignored Tikki's question and instead stared up at the ceiling, wishing that something other than concrete would meet my eyes. "Was it... Mendeleiev again?" Tikki questioned, her voice going soft as she looked at me.

I merely nodded and continued to stare at the ceiling that I've memorized in my time here. I could easily name every single crevice that was engraved in the stone, due to the amount of time I spend staring at it. There wasn't much to do in this place but train and get yelled at, both of which were unpleasant.

"What did she do this time?" Tikki asked, and I smiled at the effort she was putting in to get me to talk.

"She just gave me a punishment, a pretty harsh one too. Guess who's not having dinner for the next three nights?" I replied weakly, giving a thumbs up to Tikki. The small smile faltered when I realize it would most likely be more than three nights knowing Mendeleiev. The woman was a spawn of the devil himself and she made sure everyone knew it.

"It's ok Marinette! I might be able to sneak us some food if you want!" Tikki proposed, her little voice becoming more gentle towards the end.

I waved her off. "It's fine Tikki, imagine what she would do if she found out that I was sneaking food and that I had a kwami living with me? I would be dead before you could even say Ladybug," I laughed, imagining her face if she were to find out that I was, in fact, Ladybug.

Tikki let out a giggle, most likely imagining the thought too. I smiled, happy that I got rid of the tension that had started to build when I walked in the door. My gaze once again wandered to the ceiling, the familiar curves granting her a sense a calmness, just like they always did.

"I can never understand why you always stare at that ceiling, Marinette. What's so intriguing about it?" Tikki pondered, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. I let out a short chuckle at Tikki's words, it must look quite strange to her.

"Simple Tikki, it's my night sky."

 

Waking up was always the most dreadful part of the morning, and of course getting out of bed. Even though the bed was highly uncomfortable and just thinking about it made my back hurt, it was still a bed and there was nothing I loved more. Well perhaps Tikki might be number one, but beds were most certainly a close second.

Every morning some guard felt the need to bang on her door loud enough for the whole building to hear, which in turn caused me to fall out of my bed, startled every morning. You would think after living here so long one would get used to such things, yet somehow I was an exception to such principles.

As I rushed to get ready, the annoying guard felt the need to continue knocking longer than usual, which caused my usual grouchiness to increase a tenfold. By the time I put my hair in the usual pigtails I was ready to strangle that guard. I could see the satisfaction in his smirk when I opened the door, causing me to frown before slipping on the usual emotionless mask. You can't even begin to fathom how badly I wanted to slap him when I saw his smirk increase at my slight emotion towards him. Sadly, I would most likely get another punishment to add to the collection if I did that, which resulted in me doing what I do best; keeping my poker face.

"You have a mission to complete today, Miss," The guard announced, staring me in the eye. "The file will be given with your breakfast and you are to begin directly afterward. Is that clear?" I simply nodded at his statement, not surprised. This wouldn't be my first mission and most likely would not be my last by the looks of it. I was about to head towards the cafeteria before the guard drew me back with his words. "Madame Bustier would like to speak to you once the mission is completed," He stated looking me in the eyes once more before taking his leave.

Despite his mechanical tone, his words had caused my heart to do summersaults. What could Madame Bustier possibly want with me? A spark of hope ignited in me and I wished desperately it was about me leaving this horrid place. First, however, I had to do this mission before theorizing what the Madame could want with me. I allowed a small smile to find its way onto my face as I made my way towards the cafeteria, wishing desperately that it was about me leaving. The smile disappeared as soon as it came, however, as I neared the cafeteria doors, a guard already staring me down.

As always, I brushed off his stare and entered the cafeteria to only be greeted with silence, which wasn't unusual, to say the least. My breakfast was already placed on a nearby table, a file sitting neatly next to it. I let out a deep breath before sliding into the chair and opening the file, a picture of a man staring back at me. I squinted as I read the man's information and was surprised to see that my target was the Mayor himself.

My goal was to strike fear during some charity event by shutting down the power within the building and knocking out the poor guy before the power came back on. It was simple and I was glad for once with what I had been asked to do. I ate the bland meal as I continued to read through the file, trying to see what the best angle to approach this was. From the map of the event, I could see straight away that the balconies on the right and left side were the most covered and happened to be an equal distance from where the Mayor would be seated. I searched the map for more information on the two balconies, and I couldn't help but smile when I noticed that the camera on the left side had been placed at a very convenient angle.

This mission was going to be easier than I thought. Perhaps my luck as Ladybug was finally beginning to help out Marinette too.

After swallowing the last bits of my disgusting breakfast, I tucked the file under my arm and marched out of the cafeteria and towards the "fitting room". I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at the name since it made the room sound a lot less deadly than it really was.

"Ah Marinette, another mission I'm guessing?" Jared asked once I stepped into the room, his eyes flying to me. "What is it this time? Bandits? A gang?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "A mayor." He blinked as if he hadn't heard me correctly. Surprise flashed on his face as he stared at me quizzically.

"A-A mayor?" He sputtered,"The Great Marinette has been asked to take care of a mayor? Is the world ending? Have I caught some sudden fever?" I sighed, shaking my head at his idiotic antics.

"Yes Jared, a mayor. What's so wrong with that?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at the lanky boy in front of me.

His hazel eyes widened before he started spewing nonsense, something along the lines of "oh-god-please-don't-kill-me-i-have-a-wife-and-kids-spare-me-marinette".

"You can beg for forgiveness later Jared, right now I need gear because I need to complete this today," I stated, emphasizing the word today as I spoke. He nodded quickly before rushing to get my weapons and clothing, as well as the key to get out of this place. Once he returned I gave him a quick smile before snatching my clothing and disappearing into one of the stalls, ignoring his pleas once again.

I changed into the all black outfit along the with the signature blood-red mask, grabbing my beloved yo-yo as I pulled back the curtain.

"Try not to die!" Jared called out as I made my way towards the door, causing me to give him a simple thumbs up before leaving the room. The key to my freedom was currently in my possession, which made me forget about the slight guilt I felt for brushing Jared aside. I barely processed where I was heading, only thinking about the fact I could breathe fresh air again.

No matter how many missions I go on, the thought of the outside world still knocked the air out of my lungs. It was simply something that I could never get used to, it was just too exciting to think about.

I hadn't even realized I reached the door until I looked up and once again I felt like I couldn't breathe, which was quite ironic since I was like this because I wanted to breathe. I didn't let that stop me, though, and continued to place the key in the keyhole and opened the door, welcoming the breeze that fluttered past me. I shut the door quietly behind me before finally letting out the sigh I've been holding in, taking in the scenery around me. I stepped away from the building at marveled at the beautiful city surrounding me, Paris truly was a wonderful place.

"Marinette! Remember, you are on a mission," Tikki whispered from inside her jacket, causing me to glance down.

"Right, sorry. It's hard not to get caught up in the moment, you know?" I sighed sadly and began my walk towards the hotel the gala was being hosted at. I remembered to keep my gaze on the ground and to take short cuts to make sure no one would recognize me, I had after all been missing for over a year now. I stopped my steps for a moment to put a lid on the emotions that tried to bubble up, already knowing I couldn't afford to be distracted. Not when the Madame herself wished to speak to me after the mission.

I had reached the hotel ahead of schedule since I overestimated the amount of traffic that would have happened. It wasn't a problem necessarily, though it caused me to have to wait longer. I went over my plan a dozen times to keep myself busy, trying to find any flaw in my thinking. So far I'm in the clear and now only had to wait for the clock to strike 6 pm.

"What do you think Madame Bustier wanted to talk to you about?" Tikki asked, peeking her head out of the sleeve of my jacket.

"Hopefully nothing bad," I muttered, glancing up at the clock on the hotel. Breakfast and suiting up had taken longer than I had anticipated, most likely due to that stupid guard. A frown appeared on my face as I thought of the guy; he was one of the most annoying people I had ever met and believe me, I have met plenty of annoying people.

However, I actually wished he took up more of my time this morning, mostly because I still had an hour and a half until six.

"You have some time Marinette, do you want to...check on your parents?" Tikki asked quietly, causing my body to go rigid.

"You know I can't do that Tikki," I growled, "Not after..." Tikki nodded understandingly, choosing to stay quiet. I let out a sigh and stared at the concrete below me, thinking about how different it was from the one back home.

Home.

"Hey Marinette! Why don't you tell me about that new design idea you had," Tikki suddenly asked, breaking my train of thought. I nodded at her and proceeded to tell her about the new dress I dreamed of making, my previous thoughts getting lost in the layers of my dress.

The chiming of the clock bell startled me out of my conversation with Tikki, alerting me that it was finally six. I smiled down at Tikki, adrenaline already starting to build up at the thought of the mission.

"Show time."

Getting into the hotel was easy. The security was nothing I couldn't handle and the camera went out with a single swing of my yo-yo. The hard part was playing the waiting game again and waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Before, time flew by with the help of Tikki, however I had to be as quiet as the dead while I was in here. The gala was interesting to watch, however, each swish of a gown caused a smile to flicker onto my face. The setting was like one out of a fairytale, with each girl dressed like princesses and each boy just as dashing.

The magic ended as soon as the mayor waltzed into the room however, and was replaced with that adrenaline pumping feeling I had a little while ago. The goal of my mission was coming up and I couldn't help the smirk that found its way onto my face. 

I watched as the mayor took his seat at the head table, waving to the guests on the dance floor. My fingers inched towards the yo-yo that was strapped to my side, my eyes landing on the power box below me. I was just about to let my yo-yo fly free when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"Glad I came in time right? That would've been a cat-astrophe."


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is set free from her captors, under a long list of rules of course.

Marinette

 

"While ceiling fans and idle hands will take my life again"

 

 

My eyes flitted over to the green eyed boy behind me, my yo-yo still held tightly between my fingertips.

He must have noticed my yo-yo before he put up his hands in surrender, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"I'm not here for a fight, just some answers alright? So may I just ask, who are you?" The boy asked, his voice familiar to my ears.

"That is not your concern, now please leave before I make you," I growled at him, my eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Woah, no need to get your whiskers in a twist lady, I simply wish to know who you are," the boy stated, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

"And I said that is none of your concern," I barked before letting my yo-yo loose and striking the power box below me, flooding the room with darkness. I swiftly jumped off the balcony before the boy could catch up to me and grabbed the mayor by his  
throat as the lights flickered back on.

I stared out into the crowd, glancing at each of their horrified faces before quickly looking down at the ground. I repeated the words that were printed on my mission file, the words coming out harsh,"Let this be known as the day Paris saw just how weak their little mayor is."

With a flick of my wrist, the room was once again shrouded in darkness as I took my leave, quickly latching my yo-yo onto on of the arches above. I hoisted myself up and leapt out the room just as the lights flickered back on, allowing me one last glance at the terrified mayor before I flew off into the night.

I landed on a near by building , listening to the yells that erupted from the hotels, satisfied with my work.

"Meow that we're alone, will you answer my questions? Or are you going to hit something else and leap out of sight?" The green-eyed boy asked from behind me, causing me to go rigid at the sudden intruder.

"I'm getting real tired of you, you know that right?" I stated through gritted teeth.

I heard him sigh from behind me," If you won't tell me who you are, will you at least tell me what that was in there?"

"That was me doing my job."

"Your job is terrorizing innocent people?!" He yelled. My back was facing him, but I could just tell he was glaring at me.

"It is none of your concern what my job is."

"It is my concern when you involve Paris' people in your so called 'job'!" He yelled once again, causing me to simply roll my eyes in reply.

"Listen boy, I don't have time for this. I have things to do and people to meet, so if you'll excuse me, I must be leaving," I seethed before latching my yo-yo onto the nearest building and flying off, not sparing a glance at the boy behind me. 

"There was no need to be rude Marinette," Tikki scolded from my pocket.

"I know, I know. But I can't exactly go around saying who I am to random strangers, right?" I argued, marching back to the building. "Besides that boy was very annoying, almost as annoying as him."

Tikki sighed,"You know it's ok to say his name right? It's not like they'll understand."

"It's better safe than sorry," I replied, before noticing how close we were,"Hide Tikki!"

Tikki burrowed deeper into my pocket, knowing the dangers of being out when we were in the building. I knocked twice before adding three fast knocks, alerting the guards inside that I returned. As the door opened, I took one last glance at the world and could've sworn I saw a black figure jump across a building before being pulled roughly inside by the guard.

"Madame requests your presence immediately," the guard stated, staring down at me with beady eyes. I nodded before turning down the hallway, beginning my walk to the Madame's office.

Once again, the silence encased me as I walked down the narrow hallway, keeping my eyes only on the door at the end. It would do me no good if I kept my eyes off the prize and the prize at the moment was whatever Madame had called me in for.

I pushed open the door with no hesitation, Madame hated to be kept waiting. After all time is money, and the time I would've spent knocking would've wasted the seconds she could have speaking to me.

"Good evening Miss Dupain- Cheng," Madame Bustier greeted from her desk, a warm smile plastered onto her face. I nodded at her in acknowledgement, waiting for her to continue. "You must be wondering why I've called you in here, correct?" Madame asked, sparing me a single glance before continuing,"You see Miss Cheng, I've noticed the effort and determination that you always put into both training and missions. You have well...surprised me Miss Cheng." She looked at me as if I were some puzzle she couldn't figure out.

"You're highly advanced both intellectually and physically, you are what some call the full package," Madame paused once again before continuing her little speech, her eyes never leaving me. "However, though some may say otherwise, I am not as cruel as some take me to be. That is why..." She trailed off glancing away from me for the first time in minutes. "That is why, the organization has decided to...free you."

The only word that could explain how I felt at the moment was frozen. I felt as if I was slowly turning into ice, an unfamiliar chill settling beneath my skin.

"I'm...free?" I whispered, my mouth slightly ajar in shock.

"Yes, yes you are free. The contract you signed is coming to its end date and it is time we release you back into the world. We will be arranging a cover story and you will take your leave in two days. Am I clear?" Madame questioned, raising an eyebrow towards me.

"May I ask one question, Madame?" She nodded slowly and I took a breath before continuing,"Will I be allowed to..visit? This place has become a home to me in the past year and I would like to be able to visit some of the staff in it." Madame seemed to ponder on my question for a moment before nodding.

"You may, however, even though we are technically releasing you from your service, you may still be asked from time to time, to aid us in missions. And when I say asked, I mean you will aid in the mission without hesitation. Now am I clear or are there more questions?" Madame Bustier asked, an sharpness finding its way into her tone.

"Yes Madame. Thank you Madame," I stated before leaving the room. I made my way back to my own room, opening the door and slamming it shut behind me.

"Can you believe it Tikki? I'm free!" I yelled happily, dancing around my room,"I'm free, I'm free, I'm free!"

Tikki laughed, joining in on my dancing, "Oh Marinette, this is wonderful! We can breathe the air, see the sky, we can go home!"

Home.

"Marinette? Is there...something wrong?" Tikki asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"We're...we're going home Tikki," I whispered, stopping my dancing and sitting slowly onto my bed. "What will they say? What will I say?"

How will I answer the questions I know that they're going to have?

"Oh Marinette..it'll be ok. I know it's going to be hard answering everyone's questions, but if anyone can do it, you can!" Tikki announced proudly, throwing me a smile,"I'll be there every step of the way, you won't be alone."

I smiled at Tikki before settling down onto my pillow, a yawn escaping my lips. "Soon, I'll be looking at the real night sky as I close my eyes."

 

Pain.

That's the only thing that registered in my mind.

Each hit brought upon a new wave of red hot pain, a scream ripping through my throat each and every time.

Madame Bustier said they had to make the cover story believable, however I didn't expect this. This was worse than the time I was given the official organization branding and worse than any of my training sessions. This is what some would call torture.

The punches seemed endless and I knew I would pass out any second now, my body could only take so much. So as black dots danced in my vision, I sent one last bloody smile at the guards surround me before allowing the darkness to consume me.

When I awoke I couldn't tell whether I had been unconscious for minutes or hours, I was still in the same position. My arms were chained above me to give the idea that I was constantly in chains and my body was simply tied to the wooden stake.

"You're awake." My eyes instantly flew to the voice. Madame Bustier looked as calm as ever as she walked towards me, her eyes never giving away anything. "You've been unconscious for the past twelve hours and in that time we've placed all your belongings in your bedroom back at the.. bakery correct? Your weapons and clothing are among them, and may use them as you please. Furthermore, you will be leaving in approximately ten minutes, and from there you shall be dumped at the nearest phone booth, where you will contact your family alerting them that you are safe. Are you following?" I nodded quickly, causing her to continue."Then you will be back in your parents custody and you will follow through with the story you've been provided. We will call you once you are back at home to check on your progress and will continue to do so until we deem the situation safe. Now I must ask, are you ready to go back into the real world?" I nodded and Madame smiled in return before unshackling me.

"You will become our eyes out there Miss Cheng, so I expect this new mission to be handled just like any other, understood?" Madame asked, giving me one last hard look before leaving the room.

"I'm truly leaving," I whispered, not caring about the pain it caused my throat. "I'm free."

Once again Madame Bustier surprised me with her actions. The gas station they planned to drop me off at was closed and they refused to go any further then the agreed location. Which caused me to be forced to walk to wherever another phone booth happened to be.

"Cheer up Marinette! You're finally free!" Tikki sang, her big blue eyes staring up at me happily. She was currently sitting on my shoulder, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious in the quiet neighborhood.

"I suppose Tikki, I just wish I didn't have to walk so far in this condition," I sighed, cursing whoever made all the phone booths disappear.

"I'd say transform, but I don't think your body could handle it," Tikki pouted, patting my shoulder gently.

I nodded in agreement, knowing all too well the pain of transforming in such a weak state. The walk was silent from then on, my head pounding too hard to allow me to make a decent conversation. Tikki ended up back in my pocket, peeking her head out every few minutes.

Each step I took made the world tilt a little more as I continued to practically drag myself into the city. The gas station that was originally chosen was on the outskirts of Paris, to ensure nothing could be traced back to the organization. Which, was in theory a good plan unless you factor in the fact that the station might be closed and that a brutally beaten girl was to be left there alone.

"Hey are you ok?" A voice suddenly asked, causing me to whip my head in their direction. The sudden movement caused me to stumble, before a pair of arms steadied me. "Hey are you... Oh my god! Marinette is that you?" A voice questioned, gripping my shoulders tightly. I could barely even see at this point, let alone comprehend whatever this person was saying. I felt the world go fuzzy as I swept up into someone's arms, their frantic yelling sounding farther and farther away with each second that past. And just like that, the silence engulfed me once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter than the last one, but I hope you all liked it! I'm trying to keep things fast paced, but please let me know if you think it's going too fast though! Feel free to comment suggestions for future chapters and with that said, have a miraculous day!


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is taken to the hospital and later brought back home.

When I awoke I half expected to be chained to that post again, so it was a pleasant surprise to see I was a in a bed, a hospital bed. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes as I slowly sat up, wincing slightly in pain as I did so. The thoughts of pain were swept away with the sudden realization that someone had found and brought me here. The thought hit me like a tsunami, and I felt doubt creep into my head. What if I mess up the plan? Will they take me back to the house? Oh god, I don't think I could survive another day in that suffocating prison, I would surely die before I even stepped foot in there. I was so deep in thought I didn't even noticed another person enter the room.

"Marinette? My name is Doctor Hanes, how much do you remember from last night?" A deep voice rumbled, shocking me from my thoughts. I internally cursed myself, for an assassin I was doing pretty terrible at what I usually do best. Mendeleieve would've cursed me to hell if she was here.

"I.. uh.." I started, unsure of what to say exactly. "Well um.. I remember being dropped off somewhere, it was night when it happened and I-I tried to find a p-phone booth to contact my family and uh...things are kinda blurry from t-there," I stuttered, messing with my hospital gown. I never liked being put on the spot, especially in front of people like doctors.

"Are you sure there's nothing else you remember?" Doctor Hanes questioned, looking at me imploringly. He adjusted his glasses as he continued to stare at me, waiting for my response. My throat felt thick as I tried to form words, or simply anything to say to this elderly doctor.

"Well um.. I think I remember someone picking me up? I couldn't really see who it was since everything was kinda blurry..." I trailed off, glancing up at the doctor for a moment. He nodded in understanding before flashing me a smile. He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, looking down at me.

"Thank you for informing us, now there are some very eager people to see you outside the door, so I will take my leave," Doctor Hanes stated politely before leaving the room. It took only about ten seconds before I was crushed by a flying Alya.

"MARINETTE! OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALIVE! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH AND I LOVE YOU AND I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOUR SIDE AGAIN GIRL!" She screamed as she wrapped her arms around me tightly. I returned her embrace with the same fierceness, tears rolling down my face. "I thought I lost my best friend," Alya whispered, before giving me one last hug and letting go. She wiped her face with the back of her hand as a smile found a way onto her face.

"Sorry Mrs. Cheng, I got to your daughter first," Alya laughed through her tears , causing my eyes to drift over to my parents. If I thought I was crying hard before, nothing could compare to the waterfall that I was currently producing. Just the sight of my parents standing there sent me into hysterics, tears dripping down my face as I opened my arms for a hug. They quickly rushed over, tucking my in their loving arms. This had been a moment I dreamed of and the fact it came true only made me cry harder.

"Oh Marinette," Maman mumbled into my shoulder, her tears trickling down my hospital gown. "I'm so happy that you're okay, oh Marinette," She sobbed, her small body shaking as she cried.

"I love you so much Mari, don't ever leave us again," Papa cried, hugging me closer. Being in their embrace caused this wave of warmth to blossom in my stomach, stretching all the way to my fingertips. With their arms around me, I felt something I hadn't felt in a while, safe.

"I won't Papa, I won't," I cried, nestling my head against his chest, "I'm so sorry."

Maman retracted for a moment to cradle my face in her hands, "Oh Marinette, there's nothing to be sorry for. This is not your fault, ok sweetie? We love you so much Mari, you know that right?" She asked, tears cascading down her cheeks. The look in her eyes ripped my heart apart, they were almost haunting. I wonder if my own eyes mirror hers.

"Of course Maman," I whimpered, pulling her close for another hug. "Don't think I've forgotten about you Alya," I laughed once my mother let go, giving me a chance to wipe away my tears. Alya smiled over at me and tackled me in another hug.

"I know I've already said this a million times, but I've missed you so much girl," Alya whispered, hugging me tighter. "Not just me either, everyone has Mari."

"T-They have?" I spluttered, feeling a bit flustered at the thought of Adrien missing me. No, I have to be calm.

"Yes they have, but that's not important right now, what's important is what happened to you," Alya stated softly, pulling away to place a hand on my shoulder like the doctor had. "W-Who took you?"

I felt myself go rigid at the question and it was as if my body went on auto drive and I couldn't reach the controls. My hands started shaking and a lump began to grow in my throat.

"N-No..." I whimpered,"I won't go back! I won't!" I yelled pushing Alya off of me.

"Marinnete are you ok? I didn't mean to upset-" Alya started before I interrupted her.

"They're here aren't they? This is some cruel joke, right? Alright where are you! This isn't funny!" I sobbed, pulling at my hair, "I knew you were lying, I knew it!" Everything began to get muffled, my mind blending memories with the present. All I could see was Mendeleive smirking down at me as she threw punch after punch.

"Oh god...Marinette!...calm...panick attack...we need the doctor!.." The voices melded together as the shouting continued and I couldn't understand anything that was happening. All I could feel was fear, my whole body shaking violently as I gripped my hospital gown tightly. Then it began, the terrible silence I endured in that building and I couldn't stop screaming. I just wanted to end the silence.

"Please...n-no silence! No more!" I could feel the words tear through my throat yet no sound came out, my heartbeat the only sound in the room. I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe, yet the silence prevailed. Hands pried my nails away from my face, and gentle words were whispered in my ears and all I could see was green before everything faded to black. 

 

"...Side effects from the past months. You have to give her time, she was only found yesterday and isn't mentally stable enough to return home," I heard Doctor Hanes explain from somewhere in the room.

"I understand that Doctor, but when will she be able to return home? She was unconscious after that episode and my wife and I want to do everything in our power to bring our daughter back. Does she need a therapist, medication?" Papa questioned and I could imagine him squeezing Maman's hand like he does when he's stressed.

"What she needs now, Mr. Cheng, is to rest. Your daughter has been through quite an ordeal and needs support right now. I'm going to check her status before going to get her medication," Doctor Hanes stated calmly and I felt his presence next to me. Back at the organization, they would blind fold us and teach us to hone our hearing to be able to detect even the slightest movements.

The doctor left the room after a few moments, taking whom I assume was Papa, with him, the two of them speaking in hushed tones.

"Mrs. Cheng, how long do you think Marinette will be asleep?" Alya asked Maman, shuffling her feet a bit.

"I don't know Alya, the doctor said that the panic attack took a lot of energy out of her. Don't worry though, I'm sure she'll be up soon honey," Maman assured, and I could picture the smile she was giving Alya perfectly.

"What...What do you think those people did to her? She seemed so terrified at just the mention of them.." Alya trailed off, causing me to stiffen slightly. You're ok Marinette.

"Hopefully nothing...nothing terrible, oh my poor Marinette," Maman cried, taking my hand in hers. "She's my little girl and I can't bear the thought of something terrible happening to her, you know? I just..." She broke off into another sob, "I just want her to be ok after all this." I could feel her fingertips brush my hair off my forehead, causing a smile to find its way onto my face. "Are you waking up Marinette?"

With bleary eyes, I could make out Maman hastily wiping her eyes before smiling at me. I stifled a yawn and began to sit up only to be pushed back down.

"Nu-uh girl, you are relaxing whether you like it or not," Alya sassed, smiling at me. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt for a moment, before asking, "Are you ok now?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "Do you...do you want to talk about it? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to!"

I bit my lip and nodded slowly," I would..like to talk about it." Alya's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she rambled on about how I didn't have to and how I shouldn't feel obliged to do anything. "Its fine Alya, it would probably help to get this off my chest." She immediately shut up, Maman nodding along with her.

"Well um..I don't really want to go into specifics but uh..they were very obsessive people. Everything had to be perfect, including my body and my mentality. They wanted me to be the defintion of perfect..and went to any lengths to do it. I don't really want to talk about that part.." I mumbled, fumbling around with my fingers. Maman and Alya nodded in understanding before urging me to continue. I took a deep breath and focused on the flowers that were sitting behind the two.

"Uh.. I don't really know why everything had to be perfect or why they let me go either. They just kinda sent me packing with a smile on their face.." I whispered, running my fingers through my hair. I still don't understand why Madame Bustier let me go, especially when she often called me her star student. I didn't dwell on the thought for long, however, Madame Bustier had always been mysterious.

"Do you remember what they look like?" Maman questioned, caressing my cheek gently. I shook my head slightly and sighed.

"I was often alone during my there..I was only called when I had to study or train. My food was often just pushed through the flap in the door so there wasn't much interaction...they're not in Paris anymore though," I went on, ignoring their questioning glances. "They trusted me quite a lot ..but I never really saw them. When they set me free, I couldn't help but ask why and they told me they were off to travel the world and it was t-time the w-w-world saw what they turned me into..sorry it's kinda difficult to talk about," I cried, wiping away a stray tear.

What had they turned me into? The things I did..changed me, but I couldn't share that with Maman, not when she got that hopeful gleam in her eyes. I couldn't take that away from her, not again.

"Oh sweetie, it's ok, I'm proud that you were able to tell me that. You are so strong, you know that right Marinette?" Maman asked, smiling softly at me. I nodded at her and sent her a small smile.

Hopefully I am.

 

The days had flown by with countless nurses and an overwhelming amount of tears and soon the doctors were signing my discharge papers.

"You're room is just as you left it! And for dinner tonight we're having you favorite and we were thinking we could talk things over a bit ..." Maman rambled as she fussed over my clothing, making sure everything was in order. "...and those two nice boys who stopped by when you were asleep wanted to know if you could hang out soon, oh! Your teacher also wanted to know when you'd be ready to come back to school, but to take your time and she can send you the work for now!" Maman finished, however I only heard the last part. School? I hadn't even thought about that yet.

I voiced my concerns to Maman,"School? I don't think...I can't..." I tried to form some kind of sentence but nothing came out. Maman patted my leg understandingly.

"It's ok Marinette, you're not ready, Papa and I understand that. Alya can retrieve your homework for now. We need some time to adjust as well, this was a big shift from how things were last week. A wonderful shift,"Maman explained, booping my nose at the end. "Are you ready to go? The doctors should have finished by now." I nodded my head at her and simply couldn't believe how amazing my parents could be. I knew that they must be freaking out by now, but they were remaining calm for my sake.

"What were you saying about boys, Maman?" I asked as I slowly stood up, cautious of my wounds. Maman was busy grabbing all of our belongings so I had to repeat myself a few times before I got an answer.

"Boys? Oh boys! Yes, yes your friends Nino and Adrien came by, both fretful may I add, and wanted to see how you were doing. You were asleep so I told them you were recovering and such. They wanted to hang out when you were feeling better, if that's alright with you," Maman recalled, glancing up from her bag to see my expression. I nodded excitedly and her eyes lit up at my expression. She walked over and gently grabbed my hand with her free hand and walked to the door with me. "They'll be so happy to hear that. Quite a lot of people from your class has stopped by, I had to start bringing the flowers home! They all care about you so much," She said with a soft smile. "Almost as much as Papa and I love you," she added causing me to laugh m.

"Of course Maman, though I think you guys love me almost as much as I love you," I giggled and the look on Maman's face made the moment even better. The dullness in her eyes were covered with this brightness that could rival Lucky Charm itself. I felt the doubt that had been eating me away for the past week to slowly fade away and it was like something clicked. We could push past this.

"Marinette, ready to head home?" Papa asked, peaking his head into the room.

"I was born ready," I replied, puffing out my chest a bit causing Papa to laugh.

"You always were dramatic," Papa stated, laughing,"Now let's go pick up your medication and head home!"

Not even a day went by before the doubt and fear clawed its way back into my head. When we got home everything was exactly how I left it, just like Maman had said. Perhaps that was one of the things that set off another panic attack, the fact that it looked exactly how I dreamed it would. The whole house felt overwhelming the second I stepped foot in it. The doctor had said it would be hard to transition back into my old lifestyle, but damn I didn't think it would be this hard. The whole place felt like a reminder to the old building and I kept feeling like I was suffocating again.

I knew I was worrying my parents with my screams the instant it got silent for too long or started crying. Back at the hospital, it was easy to ignore the memories since everything felt so surreal. But now that we're here? It felt like I was back in the arena Mendeleive, with my hands tied behind my back and my eyes blindfolded. It was difficult. What was more difficult, was explaining this to my parents.

"Marinette I know we said we wouldn't push you, but I need to know why my daughter screams when it's too quiet or goes into panic attack mode randomly!" Papa brought his fist down onto the table violently one night, causing me to jump in surprise. "Why can't you look me in the eye? What happened to the girl who was laughing just a couple of days ago? What the hell happened to her?"

I knew he didn't mean to sound so aggressive, that he was just stressed about the situation, but his words still stung. "You wouldn't understand Papa,"I stated coldly, staring down at my dinner.

"I wouldn't understand? Try me," Papa exclaimed angrily.

"Tom you know-"

"Sabine you know we need answers, we can't wait forever and we can't pretend that everything is just peachy," Papa barked, before settling his eyes on me. "Marinette, please. We need to know what happened to our daughter," He practically whispered, reaching out for me, causing me to flinch in return. 

"What do you want me to say Papa?! That I can't handle the silence because that's all I heard for months? That this house is reminding me of the old one? That I can't look you in the eye because that I've been taught to only look at someone if they're giving me task?! This is hard on me too, you know! I think I'm finished," I growled icily before getting up to leave the table. "Thanks for dinner Maman." With that I made my way to my room, Tikki flittering nervously next to me. My parents called out to me to come back and that they didn't mean, but I silenced them by closing my door. 

"Marinette-"

"I know, that was harsh." I cut her off, pinching the bridge of my nose,"I just couldn't control my temper back there. I know they're beyond upset, but I need time to settle too."

"I understand Marinette, your Dad went a little crazy down there."

"Can you really blame him though? Ugh, I mean I get it, this is all new to them and they don't know how to feel or react to me, but did he have to go overboard like that? He acted just like..." I trailed off, petting Tikki a little on a her head.

"I know. It's not your fault or your parents' fault either,ok? Let's get some rest, we can talk about this in the morning," Tikki yawned, making me giggle. 

"Ok Tikki, you're right, let's get some sleep," I agreed, and began to climb up the ladder to my bed.

"So I heard a certain little kitty was just found, how are you fur-eeling right meow?" A voice asked, tapping on my window. I practically back flipped off the ladders to reach the intruder, only to find he was right in front of me. "Are you ok Miss Marinette?" He asked, looking down at me with his green eyes.

"Who are you and why are you in my room ?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know how I feel about this chapter?? To explain a bit further on Marinette's 'habits' I suppose, being back home is reminding her of the place she called home for over a year, which causes flashbacks to occur. I didn't want to include too many flashbacks since I find it to be kinda awkward sometimes in the chapters and gives things away too early. The next chapter is going to elaborate on this more, but I felt that the outburst Tom had was needed to show that realistic side again?? I feel that if I were in his shoes, I would act the same and I hope you all understood that. And remember Marinette is going to be a little different due to her experience which is why she yelled back :) Anywayyyy I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave suggestions for future chapters down in the comments! Thanks :))


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